Car security: how to keep your car safe and avoid car theft
Car thefts are up 21%, so we've taken a look at the latest threats to car security and what's being done to beat the thieves...
A car is stolen every six minutes in the UK, according to the latest data from the Office for National Statistics*. A total of 104,000 vehicles were reported stolen last year – the first time thefts have topped 100,000 since 2009. It is 21% up on 2022, when 86,000 thefts occurred, and 43% up on a decade ago.
Car theft not only causes distress to those whose cars are taken, but also affects all drivers’ insurance premiums, which are the highest they have ever been. The average cost of a comprehensive policy for a private motorist is now £635 – a 24% increase on the same time last year, when the average premium was £478, according to ABI data.
“Theft is one of a number of issues that has impacted premiums, including the increased cost of repairs,” says the Association of British Insurers (ABI). “Payouts for vehicle theft and theft from a vehicle hit record levels in 2023, totalling £669 million.”
Car theft is a constant game of cat and mouse, with the ABI, the police, safety and security organisation Thatcham Research and car makers all working hard to close loopholes exploited by organised criminal gangs who steal cars to order for resale abroad or to be broken up as parts. However, these gangs work just as hard to find new weaknesses they can use to get the vehicles they want.
What is keyless car crime and relay theft?
Much of the increase in car theft in recent years has involved the use of digital technology to grab the codes being emitted by keyless entry and keyless starting keyfobs in what’s called the relay theft method.
To combat this, many car makers have introduced some form of motion-sensing technology to their keyfobs, so the codes they emit stop after a set time and don’t start again until they are moved. This means when you arrive home and leave your keyfob on the hall table, it will go to sleep, and a thief won’t be able to grab its code.
However, Thatcham’s principal security engineer, Steve Launchbury, doesn’t think sleeping keyfobs are the best solution.
“Sleeping keyfobs do offer a deterrent to relay theft to a degree,” he says, “but because many of them don’t deactivate for up to 15 minutes, they leave open an opportunity for thieves to grab key codes if someone is walking around with the key in a pocket or bag. Many car makers won’t shorten the time the keys stay active because it could inconvenience owners, so more sophisticated software is needed to make the systems smarter.”
What are ultra-wideband car keys?
A better solution than sleeping keyfobs, says Launchbury, is ultra-wide-band (UWB) key technology. First introduced by Land Rover in 2018, it works by sending a code to the car only when the fob is within a few metres of it, so the code isn’t being emitted all the time, as with other keyless entry fobs.
Many of these systems are also smart enough to recognise if there is a delay in the car responding to an entry command code – which is what would happen if thieves were using a relay unit to pass on the code.
The system won’t respond if it detects this delay, so the doors won’t unlock and the engine can’t be started.
UWB technology is also embedded in mobile phones and is used in all car brands’ phone apps that allow owners to remotely control various aspects of their cars, such as locking.
This makes app-based systems more secure than keyless entry fobs. To date, Thatcham doesn’t believe criminals have been able to find a consistent way of overcoming UWB software. Launchbury believes this technology is an option that a growing number of car makers will adopt.
Land Rover says it is combatting theft: there have been no relay thefts of cars fitted with UWB technology.
How thieves are reprogramming car keys
Another method widely used by thieves is key emulation. This involves criminals buying a key reprogramming device, many of which are widely available online, at a cost of £15,000 to £25,000.
The criminals gain entry to a car by force or by picking the lock, locate the car’s alarm and deactivate it if it can be accessed easily. Then they’ll plug the key programmer into the car’s onboard diagnostics (OBD) port and replicate the code the car uses to unlock the doors and start the engine. This can take between a minute and half an hour, depending on the complexity of the system and how well protected it is.
Some car brands sell blank replacement keys for their cars, and one of these can be programmed using the tool so the car can be sold on. Many stolen cars are simply broken up and sold as parts, though.
Some brands are combating this type of theft by protecting the OBD, or putting a range of extra measures in place to block the key programmers from replicating the key. Others, including the Volkswagen Group, make it difficult for people to get replacement keys without proof of identity and car ownership.
How thieves are hacking into car electrical systems
With a growing proportion of new cars protected against relay and key emulation theft, the most determined criminals have resorted to hacking into the car’s wiring system to gain the code for opening the doors and starting the engine.
The electrical system they hack into is called CAN (Controller Area Network) bus. It’s an electronic communications system that was first introduced on the 1991 Mercedes-Benz S-Class. It transmits data to the numerous electronic control units (ECUs) in the car and allows different areas to communicate with each other in real time, prioritising the most important information and helping to improve the car’s safety and performance.
The physical network in most cars is made up of a twisted pair of thin wires, and it is these that criminals find and hack into using electronic tools. In some vehicles, it’s easy to tap into the wiring loom via the wiring next to a headlight, camera or other component, but in others they have to remove bumpers or cut through wings or other body panels to get to the wiring.
To combat this type of theft, some car makers, including Audi, BMW and Land Rover, have created zonal CAN solutions. This involves adding software that can detect whether a code is being sent from the correct area of the car.
For example, if the code to unlock the car doors is being sent from an ECU on the rear wing of the car rather than the door handle, it will be blocked and the car will remain locked. Because the technology is an effective theft deterrent at present, it is likely that zonal CAN recognition will be adopted by other brands.
What’s being done to combat car theft?
Thatcham Research and the ABI are always looking at ways to combat car theft. Thatcham’s chief research and operations officer, Richard Billyeald, says: “We actively support vehicle manufacturers with the ever-evolving challenge of theft, alerting them to emerging vulnerabilities and encouraging them to always remain vigilant and responsive to the threats posed by criminals.
“When criminals are prepared to target a vehicle by any means necessary because they can derive value from it, you need to look at the source of the issue: how best to interrupt the criminal process and reduce the value they’re able to secure from stolen cars. That’s why we continue to work closely with the police, the Government, vehicle manufacturers and other key stakeholders to ensure that steps are taken to protect drivers and insurers against the risk of vehicle theft.”
The ABI, which also works with car makers and Thatcham Research, is exploring a partnership with the police to aid in the recovery of stolen vehicles from ports, plus it is liaising with the Mayor of London’s office and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to find more ways to prevent vehicle thefts.
* Office for National Statistics
What are car brands doing to deter thieves?
Brands with sleeping keyfobs
Audi, BMW, Cupra, Ford, Hyundai, Kia, Mercedes-Benz, Mini, Nissan, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen, Volvo
Brands with ultra-wideband technology
Audi, BMW, Genesis, Kia (EV9 only), Jaguar, Land Rover, Mercedes-Benz (some models), Mini, Porsche, Tesla
Brands with key emulation protection
Brands with CAN bus protection
Why Jaguar Land Rover is getting tough on theft
As recently as a year ago, some Land Rover models were among the most frequently stolen cars in the UK. However, the brand is working hard to reverse this trend. Earlier this year, parent company Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) launched a two-pronged offensive to foil organised car crime gangs.
First, it’s updating the software on all cars dating back to 2016 to make them more resistant to theft. The update removes the risk of thieves starting older cars via the ECU that controls the central locking and immobiliser. More than 160,000 cars have been updated so far, and JLR is speeding up the implementation of the fix, aiming to update 700 out-of-warranty cars per week.
Second, JLR has announced an additional £1 million of funding to support police operations targeting organised crime groups responsible for vehicle thefts in the UK. The investment will support several police forces with additional, dedicated resources to respond to vehicle thefts in hotspots across the country.
It will also fund a new national policing unit that will gather intelligence on criminal activity at ports used to export stolen vehicles. Pilot operations with two police forces have already resulted in stolen vehicle recoveries and arrests.
JLR points out that its latest generation of vehicles is proving highly resilient to thefts. Police data shows that since January 2022, only 0.2% of new Range Rovers and Range Rover Sports have been stolen, and only 0.3% of new Defenders have been taken since it was launched in 2020.
Electronic car theft tools due to be outlawed
A new piece of legislation, due to become law later this year, will help the police combat car theft and the criminals behind it. Clause 3 of the Criminal Justice Bill will make it a criminal offence to possess, import, manufacture or supply electronic devices that are used in vehicle theft. It will also create new powers for the police to enter premises to search for these devices and seize them if they’re found.
Police officers are being taught about the methods used by thieves, and a network of vehicle crime leads has been established in every police force in England and Wales. This will ensure that information about emerging trends is shared and forces are better able to tackle regional issues.
How to avoid car theft
1. Get a Faraday bag
Savvy drivers can use technology to hide their keys out of reach of thieves. Special pouches, called Faraday bags, can block the signal from your key, meaning thieves can't use it against you. Faraday pouches are cheap, easy to use and are available from retailers such as Amazon.
2. Check for recalls
The first thing to do is make sure you’re aware of any recalls that are outstanding for your car. Manufacturers take car security seriously and aim to make sure that all the software in each model is as safe as possible. Software updates are common and can be performed by your local dealership or, in some cases, wirelessly over the internet.
3. Keep your keys safe at home
When it comes to deterring the most sophisticated thieves, the police warn against leaving car keys in hallways or near your front door, where their access signals could be captured.
4. Lock the doors manually
You can prevent thieves from cloning your key’s wireless signal by locking your car doors manually with the key.
5. Reset passwords
Many new cars can connect to the internet or be controlled by a smartphone app. If your car has this functionality, make sure you change the default password and never keep the car’s wireless access codes in the car.
6. Get a tracker
If you own a valuable car, you might want to invest in a GPS car tracker to alert you if someone tries to move it. The tracker’s combination of GPS and radio signals tell you your car’s exact location at all times, so you’ll know when it’s being driven by someone else. If it’s stolen, the police should be able to recover it.
7. Fit a steering lock
A steering wheel lock is an old-fashioned solution, and although it won’t provide 100% protection, it will put off opportunist thieves and slow down anyone attempting to steal your car. Our product test has a run down of the best steering locks on the market.
8. Be careful with keys
Never leave your car unlocked with the key in the ignition, and never leave it with the engine running. It sounds obvious, but it can be tempting to leave the keys in your car while you pay for petrol, or to leave it unlocked with the engine running on your drive while its windows are demisting.
9. Park in a secure place
Keeping your car in a locked garage not only means that it’s out of sight, but also adds an extra layer of complexity that thieves need to overcome before driving off in it.
10. Hide valuables
Don’t leave anything of value in your car. Keep your car tidy and make sure you take valuables and items with personal information with you when you leave the car to make your car as unappealing as possible to opportunistic thieves.
About the report author
Claire Evans has been a motoring journalist for more than 30 years, working on consumer issues for a great deal of that time. After a stint as the advice columnist for Carweek magazine in the 1990s, she also spent six years working on motoring content for Which?. It is here she oversaw the running of the charity's annual used car reliability survey.
Claire launched the What Car? Reliability Survey in 2017, and since then has helped thousands of buyers choose the most reliable new cars and SUVs, as well as the most dependable used cars.
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FAQs
Relay theft usually involves two people working together using transmitters that can be bought online for around £100. These boxes capture the signals emitted by certain key fobs.
One person waves a relay box around outside the car owner’s front door to grab the signal from a key that could have been left on a hallway table. This is passed on to the second person, who stands next to the car with another relay box, which receives the signal and uses it to unlock the car. The thieves can then simply drive the car away.
Thieves can also use even cheaper gadgets to steal cars. With an interceptor costing just £30, a thief can stand near your car while you lock it and record the code sent out by the key. The equipment then calculates the unlocking code for your car and allows them to gain access to it and drive off.
A large number of new cars have keyless entry either as standard or as an optional extra, and there are thousands of second-hand vehicles already on the road with this technology.
To provide car owners with added convenience, keyless entry systems sense when the keys are close and unlock the car doors when the owner pulls on the door handle or touches a sensor on it. This means parents carrying children and drivers carrying large or bulky items don’t have to scrabble about in bags or pockets for keys. In fact, when coupled with a keyless start system, which enables the car to be started by pressing a button, without the need to put a key in the ignition, owners can permanently leave their car keys in a bag or pocket.
The key emits a code, or a series of codes, which are picked up by antennae in the car’s bodywork. However, this code can also be grabbed by a scanning device and sent to a booster unit that repeats it next to the car door to open it. Because the car thinks it’s the owner who wants access to it, the other security systems on the car, such as the alarm and engine immobiliser, aren’t activated when the car is unlocked.
If the car has a keyless starting system, this same booster can also be used while pressing the start button to fire up the engine and drive the car away. This is seen as a second level of vulnerability by security experts, because thieves can get a car to start without having to damage it and don’t need the physical strength to break an ignition lock.
While a growing number of brands have introduced motion sensor technology to their keyless entry key fobs, there are lots of new and used cars that still don’t have this technology, making them most vulnerable to keyless theft.
And, although sleeping keyfobs provide great protection when they’ve been put to sleep, they don’t provide any more security than a standard keyless entry fob if they’re moving – such as when they’re in a pocket or handbag.
For this reason, some car makers have two methods of activating the sleep mode on the fob: automatically after it hasn’t been moved for a set period of time, or immediately by pressing a button on the fob. Fobs that can’t be deactivated immediately might be open to being scanned by thieves hanging around near car service departments or outside owners’ homes.
